Sequential posts disallowed

While I can understand the rationale for this policy, it's annoying. If I'm going through a long thread, I comment on or reply to a post, usually use the quick reply. Then I return to the last post I read... I want to comment on or reply to a subsequent post but if I try to do so I'm told that as the last poster to that thread I can't -- I can only edit my previous post, which means "fast forwarding" to my previous post, clicking on edit, adding my new piece, and retracing to the post i was reading, all, in my case, on a rural dial-up.

To put it in Homer Simpson's words, "Sure, you'll prevent people from posting mindless bits just to drive up their post counts, but millions of ordinary posters will be inconvenienced!"

To put it in Minstrel's words, "It's annoying."

 

Caryl and I had the same problem yesterday in the big experiment - Caryl had posted a reply to someone and then wanted to place the results - but couldn't - she noticed that I was on line so PM'd me to explain that things had changed like this and could I post something - anything - so that she could post again. So I went off and posted a piece of drivel so that Caryl could post!

Interesting I thought. A tad complicated!

 

I do not like it at all. I takes away from the content of the thread.

Once folks get used to it they will just not even try to post until someone else responds.

I think it will cause members to lose interest.

 

I find it annoying and cumbersome to navigate

 

I liked the other suggestion that if you post sequentially; the second post is appended to the first post.

 

I second the motion.

 

There are probably times when that would work but I can also think of many times when it won't -- it's not unusual to want to comment on two or more separate issues on a topic -- appending the second to the first buries the second. If I'm reading posts and one starts off talking about something I'm not interested in, I skip to the next post; for longer posts especially, will I scroll down to see if there's something more interesting later on? Probably not. But I will read the first bit of all posts in a thread...

 

The only option is to edit your last post, that would leave some things out of context.

I think the reason Shawn did this is Lawsuit, he was making so many posts back to back.

He had to do something

 

There are other options:

1. delete pointless sequential "why hasn't anyone answered me" posts
2. ban Lawless or people who are repeat offenders

The current remedy is a little like punishing everyone for the acts of a few: Someone in this organization is stealing paper clips so we've now decided that no one in the organization can have any more paper clips.

 

The other option is for members to adjust, once they know the rules, they will not bother to try to post after their last post.

Yes, we can edit or make a point to let others know that it is a separate comment by putting a line such as the one below.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I can address Minstrel directly, real easy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I can tell SE if he continues to question me and say FU to me again that I am going to take his Drunk Rank Stock away from him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I can tell Shawn I like him once in a great while.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I can tell Kalina that she should live a normal life and get to bed at 11:00 pm instead of staying up until 6:00 am everyday.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Minstrel, can you see how this can work for you now?

 

I see how it IS working for me now -- in two threads before I started this thread, I just stopped posting.

So, let me recap all this:

1. This is a forum where the idea is to encourage people to post their opinions, questions, comments, etc.
2. The forum has instituted a new policy which discourages posting.

Is this a policy you would adopt on your own forum? I wouldn't... I would use opne of the other means to deal with the problem.

 

I gave you my opinion in prior posts, but in case it does not change I am ready to use the example in my last post also.

Shawn is like Google, he likes automation instead of humans, he will code his way out of this mess.

 

Yep... I saw your example and that will work in a one or two page thread. I just don't see myself going back and forth between page 3 or 5 to 17 and then loading another edit page to post.

I can almost hear some people saying, "Yay! He finally found a way to shut minstrel up!!"

 

How would that happen Minstrel?

Once someone posts you can post after them, so to consolidate your comments like my example is not that big of a deal and may in fact have greater impact than a bunch of consecutive posts.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

No one wants to shut you up, Shawn may also be wanting to avoid all of the space it takes to load each post one after the other, there are many factors to consider.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

No emoticons on some forums for the above reason. Why should he load someone's avatar and post headings over and over for a one line addition to the thread?

 

Your forum, your decision, Shawn. I find it limiting. It won't cause me to leave the forum but it's an irritant.

 

Minstrel, get used to Shawn irritating you, I have

 

Oh In that case, well done... it worked

 

Shawn,

What would it take for you to change the forum back?

Most good people do not complain, they just do not return. That is very common knowledge in marketing.

If there are some abusers of the forum, they should be dealt with on an individual basis. There really is nothing wrong with banning someone, especially if they have not heeded previous warnings.

But, to add some code that will annoy just about everyone, will chance the loss of good forum posters. They will not complain. They will just find someplace else less annoying.

PLEASE RE-CONSIDER.

Thank you,
Caryl